IND vs SA: "This Hundred Is Going To Change Sanju Samson's Career" - Sunil Gavaskar Says After 3rd ODI

Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar praised young batter Sanju Samson for his magnificent hundred during the third and final ODI match between India and South Africa. Sunil Gavaskar emphasized that this century will be a turning point in Sanju Samson’s career.

Sanju Samson played a crucial role in Team India’s 78-run victory at Boland Park in Paarl on Thursday, December 21. The right-handed batter steadied the innings after two early wickets and helped the visiting team set a challenging total of 296-8 in 50 overs.

Samson seized the opportunity after being promoted to No. 3 in the batting lineup during a must-win match. He formed crucial partnerships with skipper KL Rahul and Tilak Varma. He reached his maiden international hundred and ended with 108 runs off 114 deliveries.

Sanju Samson Will Get More Opportunities – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar was impressed with Sanju Samson’s shot selection in his recent innings, stating that he displayed a more cautious approach compared to the past. Gavaskar expressed that Samson’s hundred will open up more opportunities for him in the future.

“The standout for me from this innings was his shot selection. In the past, he has gotten out despite getting starts. Today, you couldn’t fault him at all, he was biding his time, waiting for the bad ball, and then getting a hundred. I think this hundred is going to change his career. One, he will get more opportunities because of this hundred,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Samson made his international debut against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club back in 2015. The batter made his ODI debut six years later, against Sri Lanka. He has scored 510 runs in 16 ODIs with an impressive average of 56.67 and a strike rate of 99.61.

Sanju Samson Will Start To Believe In Himself – Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar mentioned that Sanju Samson’s century will instill more self-belief in him at the international level, helping him overcome doubts about his place. He emphasized that Samson has the talent and solidified his presence with a breakthrough performance.

“Secondly, I think he will also start to believe in himself more that he belongs to this level. Sometimes you know you are there, but the luck is not with you and things like that. You get a tremendous delivery, and a great catch, all these things can make you doubt whether you actually belong there. This century will make him believe he belongs here. He has always belonged here, mind you. We all know the talent he has. But somehow he had not delivered, but today he delivered not just for everybody but for himself as well,” Gavaskar added.

Also read: IND vs SA: Watch – Sanju Samson’s Special ‘Muscle-Flexing’ Celebration After His Maiden ODI Century